The presidential election has produced significant statements regarding the central issue in Catholic social teaching—that of life—and some particularly potent voices come from the Culture of Life Foundation, and one is E. Christian Brugger, Ph.D. Senior Fellow in Ethics.
An excerpt from his statement.
“Like many concerned with the welfare of vulnerable human life, the results of the Nov. 4 election have led me to question where our country is going. Do the results imply we are growing more tolerant of abortion? After three and a half decades of strenuous effort to sensitize our friends and neighbors to the ‘silent screams’ of the unborn, does the electoral outcome mean we’re losing the battle for the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens? Does electing a president as politically tolerant of killing human embryos, fetuses and newborns as Barack Obama mean our country’s moral callousness is thickening? What does the Obama victory foreshadow for the future of preborn human life in our country? …
“Our parents taught us never to judge a book by its cover, either for worse or for better. Read it, they said, and then make your judgment. Our nation last week purchased Barack Obama based solely on his cover. His sound bites and slogans, stump speeches and campaign promises were no more than promotional material on the Obama dust jacket. But the book is now ours and we have four years to read it. And read it we will, whether we like it or not. I expect that when the majority of Americans begin to see clearly whom they elected, their enthusiasm will mute and their attention turn. And then the time will be ripe for defenders of life to put forward a freshly formulated and newly motivated appeal on behalf of the godlike dignity of every human person, especially the preborn. I agree with Dr. May that we need more effectively to address “disabling factors” preventing people from hearing the gospel of life. First and foremost we need to address widespread ignorance of basic truths concerning life issues, such as when human life begins, what you’re killing when you kill an embryo or fetus, whether the unborn feel pain, and whether abortion is bad for women. We need to continue to unmask the blatant falsifications of the abortion and embryo destruction industries, clearly set forth viable life affirming alternatives to abortion and embryo destruction, point out the psychological and moral link between contraction and abortion, and tirelessly proclaim God’s willingness to forgive those who execute or facilitate the killing of the innocent.
“The election results are an opportunity for us to regroup in anticipation of a new day of pro-life evangelization in which the splendor of truth and gospel of life are confidently defended in the public square.
Couragio pro-lifers!”
Lampstand Foundation website, http://www.lampstandfoundation.org/
"The sinner is at the very heart of Christianity. Nobody is so competent as the sinner in matters of Christianity. Nobody, except the saint." Charles Peguy (1873-1914)
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.